Park City News

Fieldhouse to benefit from bond

Voters in November to determine if more money allocated

An expansion of the Fieldhouse would be funded if voters approve a proposed bond in November.(Christopher Reeves/Park Record)

June 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of the Fieldhouse at Kimball Junction.

The head of the indoor jewel of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District hopes that he can continue celebrating come November.

Fieldhouse and Facilities Manager Matt Strader, along with other Basin Recreation officials and users of the facility, want voters of the area to approve a proposed $25 million bond that might be placed on the November ballot.

"We're really excited to have an opportunity to ask the community for more money for recreation," Strader said. "We know what we need."

Part of the bond is $5.5 million to embark on the third and final large-scale phase of the construction of the Fieldhouse. The phase would include a large multi-purpose, hard-courted area that can accommodate hundreds of users daily, in sports ranging from basketball and volleyball to lacrosse and pickleball.

More room at the Fieldhouse is needed, Strader said, because of the steadily increasing numbers of people who use the Fieldhouse.
Check out the growing numbers:

The Fieldhouse expansion is one of the top priorities for Basin Recreation, District Director Rena Jordan said, because the 2010 $20 million bond that was approved by voters didn't include any money for recreation facilities.

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And the 2006 bond, which could have included more money for the Fieldhouse, was defeated by voters. So recreation facilities haven't been funded since 2001, with the Fieldhouse being built during 2003 and opening in 2004.

Despite the lack of bond funding, residents in the area have consistently named expansion at the Fieldhouse one of their most desired needs in recreation, according to the surveys.

The Fieldhouse has sustained itself through user fees, impact fees, and revenue from the restaurant and RAP taxes, Strader said.

Because of those revenues, the Fieldhouse has been able to build smaller-scale add-ons to the facility, such as the ever-popular splashpad and the five recently opened fitness rooms that encompass 7,800 square feet.

But the $5.5 million infusion will allow facility operators to be "creative" in their development of the space, Strader said, including everything from additional parking to a wall built specifically for kids to toss lacrosse balls against. The district runs scores of summer camps, but the vast majority of those are held at different spots throughout the county; once expanded, the Fieldhouse will be able to accommodate many more of those, he said.

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